Were you placed with severely disabled children as a child?

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In preschool and in kindergarten I was with normal kids, but I had difficulty playing with others and I would often throw tantrums. So I was put into special education with other children who had down syndrome or were mentally handicapped. For 1st grade I was in special education all of the time. 2nd grade I was in regular classes for math but special education for reading. In third grade I was mainstreamed, but I still had speech therapy.

I spent a couple of years with emotionally-disturbed people in the "ret*d class" because I had poor grades. No impairment, but school was so horrible I couldn't learn.

Nope. I don't think we had such special ed classes in our school. I knew there were schools for deaf people and schools for blind people. There must be schools for other disabled kids but I didn't know about them. Life was pretty normal and I suffered no more than other kids did. I was a bit disorganized but mostly managed schoolwork OK. My biggest issue was PE because of low muscle tone and lack of coordination. The teachers saw that I worked harder than other kids and always let me pass PE. My differences didn't become obvious until late teens and adulthood, when responsibilities and expectations finally went over what I could cope with.

I was in special ed in parts of elementary and middle school, but I was more with the children who had learning disabilities. Academically, I was about normal, maybe even slightly above average.

With the first elementary school I went to, not only the kids were mean to me, but the teachers were too. I remember being dragged to the special ed room in Kindergarten all the time because a kid told the teacher on me for something dumb. Eventually the special ed teachers just decided to teach me in their classroom instead. They were kindest teachers at that school. I eventually transferred schools because my grandma had video taped a play we did, and she caught my first grade teacher being mean to me over something another student did.

The second elementary school was much better. I was in normal classrooms without the teachers treating me like dirt. Sure, the kids mostly excluded me, but at least I could trust that my teachers weren't encouraging it.

In middle school, I was put in this so-called "study skills" class. I think most of the kids in it had learning disabilities. Anyways, in one school, it was almost like an extra study hall with extra help from a couple teachers. We'd sometimes play games and stuff. At another middle school I went to, their study skills class was during the study hall period.

Same here. I was reading at a 6th grade level by 2nd grade (and I was in a "special school" for kids with "brain-damage" and "emotional disturbance").

I was reading college level by 6th grade.

I also did well in math. I didn't like the "abstract" nature of algebra, though.

I went to a dyslexic school for a couple years & I was in a resource program in high-school but the other students in there just had dyslexia & some had AD/HD. I wouldn't consider them severely disabled. I defiantly was the most disabled one in all my schools because in addition to my dyslexia & ADD, I have Aspergers, a rare low vision disorder, & a tremor disorder that acts up when doing things with fine motor-skills.

I've always been in a normal classroom with other people, and I never understood this as I was clearly incapable of keeping up. I've had difficulties all around, and the only time I was good at anything (I was very skilled at piano around early age and I was only interested in Atmospheres of gas giants and Shuttles from the Enterprise weird hobby to have haha) was when I was out of the classroom and on my own. However, once they did start forcing me into the special education classes I was doing even worse, I always felt off or out because I had been in normal education for so long. I I became use to the constant conflict every day.

I have met a dozen people with more severe autism and I have quite a few stories from those times.

I was labeled "hyperactive" in kindergarten. I was in a special class in first grade. My fellow students didn't have severe disabilities, but were slow learners. I was mainstreamed in second grade and excelled academically in regular classes from then on, but I was socially inept and had very few friends. I was never good at sports, either. Who could have known I'd be playing tennis today?

There wasn't really any severely disabled children at my school, but I was put in the special needs group, with children with things like dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADD or learning difficulties. I fit in with that type rather well. I did struggle in paying attention and doing maths, so I was glad I had the extra help.

Nearly all of the kids in that class were older than I was, and very few could read. I was reading at a fourth grade level in first grade (in English), despite not knowing any English in kindergarten. There was no such thing as an ESL class then, so I was put in a special classroom. One of my classmates was a fourth grader reading at first grade level. I remember, years later, when I was in junior college, talking to that person. She was still taking remedial classes, while I was on my way to university, with a major in English.

Other students in that class had learning and health issues. As far as I know, I was the only one who made it all the way through regular classes from elementary school through university. I did well academically, earning a Master's in English at age 26, but I don't believe I was ever "typical" or "normal" by any standard other than academics, where I was above average. I was bookish and introverted throughout my school career and had few friends. I was a klutz when it came to sports and didn't do much else but study throughout my school career. I held on to my academic achievement as evidence I was somewhat all right, although I was far from all right in other ways.

kraftiekortie,

I was also reading at near college level by sixth grade and my vocabulary scores were at the top of the charts. I was about average in math, but far behind in social skills and terrible at sports. I can't believe I'm taking tennis lessons now, steadily improving and loving them! My social skills have also improved as a result.

I noticed there are a few replys here saying they were too "smart" or "intellegent" for special ed/LD classes. It's kind of offensive because learning disabilities is NOT the same as an intellectual disability. The children in LD classes just process information and learn differently and can have a wide range of intelligence levels, some were well above average. I was placed in those classes when I was younger which included children with all different types of learning disabilities. There were a lot of kids with autism, dyslexia and speech impediments. I had a speech impediment. Some of them would have severe meltdowns. It was hard because we were often bullied for being in the "ret*d class" and some people would call us "ld" instead of our name.